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Are The Falcons Ready To Hoist A Lombardi Trophy? One Atlanta WR Thinks So

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Josh Petry | Last updated Jul 19, 2025 5:14 PM ET

Being crowned the starting quarterback in the NFL comes with its fair share of negativity. Still, most believe Falcons quarterback is an exceptional talent, especially one particular Falcons weapon at wide receiver.

Ray-Ray McCloud recently spoke to the Pro Sports Football Network about quarterback Michael Penix Jr. He believes that Penix Jr. is built for success, stating, “Boy, I’m excited, and I’m not gonna be surprised by any of it,” McCloud said. “I’ve watched [Penix] every day for the last year at practice, and I’m just ready to see him go into an experienced year, a polished year, and see how it goes — go all the way to the Super Bowl.”

It's not as if any of the weapons for Penix Jr. harbor ill will toward him, because Penix Jr. has become a great teammate and has become more vocal. He is overall a good dude and is well-respected in the locker room. If the offensive skill players want targets, they should stay in his good graces.

Penix Jr. has received his fair share of constructive criticism regarding his accuracy and increasing his completion percentage, among other areas for improvement. However, the majority expect great things from him, given his performance during the last three weeks of the season when he took over for Kirk Cousins.

Having hype is a great thing, but having confidence from your teammates and coaches, even when you're young, and having a name like Kirk Cousins looking over your shoulder, is the most critical aspect of success.

Former legendary Atlanta quarterback Mike Vick has had the opportunity to evaluate Penix Jr. as well, saying, “I think this is gonna be an amazing season for him, just watching practices, it looks like everything has slowed down.”

We will have to wait and see if looking good with limited action during last season will translate to being QB1 for an entire season. Penix Jr. will face four playoff teams from a season ago within the first five weeks of the 2025 season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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